Jordanian entrepreneurs showcase success at ‘Social Impact’ event

AMMAN — Numerous Jordanian entrepreneurs gathered on Monday to talk about their start-up projects, in the presence of Mercy Corps Country Director Hunter Keith, whose organisation managed the funding those entrepreneurs received from Google.

The event, entitled “Social Impact: Opportunities and Challenges”, was organised by Mercy Corps at the Kempinski Hotel in Amman and showcased the stories of 16 entrepreneurs.

“There is no handbook for creating a business in Jordan, and certainly not for a digital business,” Keith said, adding that all the various ideas Mercy Corps helped fund had met “relative success”.

“How did you manage to do it?” he asked, saying that this is the most vital question to be answered.

The digital marketing sector in Jordan holds enormous potential but needs an encouraging environment to help it grow, the entrepreneurs said.

Mercy Corps recently launched a new incubator project, funded by tech giant company Google, according to a statement sent to The Jordan Times back then.

The aim of Mercy Corps and Google’s business incubator was to enable start-ups to generate innovative solutions for critical local and global challenges, while creating employment opportunities for youth, the statement said.

“Now that these start-ups are up on their feet here in Amman, I think the true challenge is getting them through to the governorates. It is important that these entrepreneurs are able to deliver their services to places beyond the capital,” added Keith.

Mrayti, a start-up founded by Romouz Sadeq, is a business that allows stylists to work from home, and is now looking to expand to Irbid, according to the founder.

Keith noted: “We should always think of maintaining the same level of quality when expanding, which is why having the founders discuss the challenges and successes they have had so far is of essential help.”

Saleh Haddad, the founder of Connect-to-Fit, a “fitness hub” smart phone application, is working towards going regional, Haddad said.

Notably, Haddad is one of the creators and founders of Souq.com, a shopping app that was sold to Amazon in 2017 for $580 million.

During the same year, he created his new fitness app.

“There is no app in the country, and I think even the region, that connects individuals with personal trainers and gyms near them, while simultaneously offering these businesses a place to promote themselves,” he told The Jordan Times on Monday.

Starting with just himself, Haddad now has five other people on his team.

“What is great about these start-ups is not only that they are innovative, but that they provide jobs for different types of workers in different fields,” concluded Keith.

The Mercy Corps incubator project was launched in December 2018, according to the statement, and has already featured a number of successes, including those showcased in the Monday event.